The present invention relates to image processing systems and methods and more particularly to editing controls having a multi-dimensional editing capability.
Various kinds of image processing systems employ editing controls in image editing operations. One such system is a duplicator system in which a stored electronic image can be edited and applied to a platen to produce a hard copy output. Another system is a reprographic system in which a digital image is scanned from a hard copy input and then processed through an image editor to generate an edited hard copy output from a laser printer or the like. In an image edit system, an image editor processes stored images in accordance with edit operations and stores the edited images electronically for use in other systems.
Editing controls are employed in image editors to make color modifications in a displayed image in accordance with a predefined edit operation. For example, in a TV Color operation, all of the colors in an image are simultaneously varied in accordance with the operation of an edit control, such as a blue or green control, or a hue control. Other edit operations include Line Art, Image Color, Hi-lite, Rotate, etc.
Generally, it is often desirable to make color modifications in an image in accordance with a selected edit operation by simultaneously changing the basic red, green and blue components to vary a visible attribute of the image until the desired appearance is obtained. As an example, the variable image attribute (or color descriptor variable) may be chroma which is a measure of color purity.
In conventional image editing systems, edit controls have been employed to enable an operator to modify an image through changes in a color descriptor variable such as hue or contrast. However, in the interest of achieving better image editing with increased editing productivity and facility, it is desirable that greater integration be provided in the editing control of the visible aspects of an image. Specifically, it is desirable that a multi-dimensional editing capability be provided so that two or more color descriptor variables can be simultaneously modified in an editing operation being applied to an image. The known prior art has been limited to image editing with variation of a single color descriptor variable.
The following prior patents have been identified as having limited relevance to the present invention:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,834, "Circuit and Method for Producing A Full-Screen Cross-Hair Cursor On A Raster-Scan Type Display", dated Feb. 26, 1980, filed by Douglas J. Doornink.
2. U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,867, "System and Method for Painting Images by Synthetic Color Signal Generation and Control", dated Apr. 29, 1980, filed by Elmer D. Hill.
3. U.S. Pat. No. 4,245,244, "Device for Delineating Zones In A Video Image Display", dated Jan. 13, 1981, filed by Robert R. Lijewski, et al.
4. U.S. Pat. No. 4,354,184, "Display System for Localizing Regions In A Mixed Text & Picture Display", dated Oct. 12, 1982, filed by Walter Woborschil.
5. U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,313, "Image Processing Method and Apparatus Having A Digital Airbrush for Touch Up", dated Aug. 17, 1982, filed by Keith T. Knox.
6. U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,322, "Digital Shade Control For Color CRT Background and Cursors", dated Aug. 21, 1984, filed by Wayne D. Bell, et al.
7. U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,491, "Method for Highlighting of A Region On A Display Screen", dated Jan. 22, 1985, filed by Wolfgang Postl.
8. U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,810, "Method For Interactive Rotation of Display Graphic Objects", dated Apr. 28, 1987, filed by Carol S. Himelstein, et al.
9. U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,286, "Apparatus and Method for Modifying Displayed Color Images", dated Sep. 15, 1987, filed by Gar A. Bergstedt.
10. U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,295, "Luminance Selection Apparatus For Video Signal Control System", dated Mar. 22, 1988, filed by Robert I. Hemseky, et al.
11. U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,503, "Image Processing Method With Improved Digital Airbrush Touch Up", dated Jun. 14, 1988, filed by Dorian Kermisch.
12. U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,507, "Method For Simultaneously Displaying An Image And An Enlarged View Of A Selectable Portion Of The Image With Different Levels of Dot Detail Resolution", dated Jun. 14, 1988, filed by Hiroshi Hama, et al.
13. U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,882, "Cursor Controller User Interface System", dated Sep. 20, 1988, filed by Robert J. Mical.
14. U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,291, "Valuator Menu For use As A Graphical User Interface Tool", dated Jan. 23, 1990, filed by Stephen B. Gest, et al.
15. U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,079, "Color Correction Device and Method Having A Hue Area Judgement Unit", dated Jan. 29, 1991, filed by Takanori Ito.